Italian Christmas Bread with Eggnog Glaze

My husband fondly recalls the Anise Bread that his Italian grandmother used to make during the holidays. She evidently never had a recipe (and never used a bread machine!) so this is what I came up with for a quick, special Christmas bread. This rich bread has a wonderful aroma while baking.

Original recipe makes 1 2-pound loaf

Ingredients

For the Bread:
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 cup eggnog, plus
1 tablespoon eggnog
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 egg
1 egg yolk
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 tablespoons anise seed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Glaze:
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon eggnog

PREP

25 mins
COOK

45 mins
READY IN

3 hrs 10 mins

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Spread hazelnuts evenly on a baking sheet. Bake until lightly toasted, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, transfer the nuts to a bowl, and let them cool.
Place the eggnog, sugar, salt, butter, egg, egg yolk, bread flour, yeast, anise seed, and cinnamon into the bread machine. Program the machine for a basic cycle with the crust as "medium." Press start. Do not use the delay timer.
Place the cooled toasted hazelnuts into the machine between Knead Cycle 1 and Knead Cycle 2. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the pan and allow it to cool on a rack.
Prepare the glaze by combining the confectioners’ sugar and eggnog in a bowl; mix well. It should be a drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze on the cooled bread before slicing.